“Both are needed,” Public Health spokesman Dan Suffoletto said. “We’re constantly evaluating what the best services are to provide the Miami Valley. Our highest priority right now and the role where we can be most effective is providing the vaccine.”
Several local libraries, which give away rapid tests free of charge, are running out of COVID tests almost as fast as they can stock them. According to the websites for Greene County Public Library, Dayton Metro Library, and Wright Memorial Public Library, all branches at each of the three library networks are out of rapid at-home tests.
The Ohio Department of Health recently published guidelines that limited test kits to no more than four per person per day. Public health officials in both Greene and Montgomery Counties say that tests are in limited supply, and are meant for situations where the user has experienced symptoms, or has been in contact with someone who has COVID-19.
“If you’re sick or have been directly exposed, those are great uses for those rapid at-home tests,” Suffoletto said. “We hope people aren’t taking them and holding on to them for when you need them down the road. Because of the limited supply, we don’t recommend that.”
Other facilities where people can get tested include Premier Health and CompuNet Clinical Laboratories, which offer nasal swab testing at seven locations. Appointments are required at all locations except the former Montgomery County Fairgrounds, south of downtown Dayton. A physician’s order is required at all locations except for self-pay tests.
As of late Thursday afternoon, the Troy CompuNet Labs site had a few Friday afternoon COVID testing appointments left, but the first appointment time available at the Beavercreek site was late morning on Monday.
Dayton Children’s has rapid and PCR options for COVID-19 testing. Both tests can be billed through insurance with a provider’s order, or out-of-pocket costs are $60 for an antigen test or $100 for a lab test, payable by credit or debit card. Tests are available at the Springboro location without an appointment or a provider’s note, or at Dayton and Troy locations with an appointment and doctor’s order.
Several pharmacy chains, including CVS and RiteAid still offer both rapid and PCR lab testing. Rite Aid has drive through COVID-19 testing by appointment at many area pharmacies, and CVS also offers at-home testing.
Since March of this year, the Greene County Public Library has given out over 40,000 testing kits, said Communications Coordinator Evan Scott, and they’re still going like hotcakes. Greene County expected to restock its testing kits as soon as Thursday afternoon. Scott said the demand has been steady across all seven locations.
“Now that Omicron is out, and like Delta it’s only a matter of time before it gets here, I think that’s causing some people to think ahead and get some test kits,” said Greene County Public Health’s Laurie Fox.
Requests for kits range from a single test for an individual, to enough tests for a family or a work team.
“It’s all over the board,” Scott said. “There are kids who need to be tested for school, people who need to for work or planning travel. We have had requests for ten or more.”
About the Author
